


Defiance

by EveandJohnny



Series: The Radiologist [2]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: AU where the events up to Operation Pitfall differ, Angst, Celebrated Dislike, F/F, F/M, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 18:03:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12138063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveandJohnny/pseuds/EveandJohnny
Summary: A young Belgian radiologist starts working at the Hong Kong Shatterdome and she immediately clashes with Chuck Hansen. First, she snubs him with a remark about Kaijus and then she even stares one down. There hardly seems hope for their relationship, not even in the wake of Operation Pitfall.





	Defiance

Chuck and Raleigh exchanged a mischievous look, then smirked. Technically, it was Chuck who smirked and Raleigh grinned in defeat. But he nodded anyway. They walked down the stairs to the mess in unison. Meandering through the staff with their trays, they approached a young woman with black Bettie Page bangs sitting at the edge of a table beside two J-Techs. Chuck patted one of the J-Techs on the back and nodded his head. The J-Tech rolled his eyes and pulled at the arm of his friend. They both got up and Chuck and Raleigh took the vacated seats. The woman hadn’t looked up once so far.

“So” Chuck began, sporting his flirtiest smile, “You seem to be new here. I hadn’t had the pleasure to introduce myself yet. The name’s Chuck Hansen.” He held out a hand.

The women ignored it, and Chuck’s smile faltered a little. But she at least finally looked up.

“I’m delighted” she muttered, sounding far from it. “My name is Annabelle Willems, the new radiologist.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs Willems. I’m Raleigh Becket.”

“It’s Miss, but anyway, nice to meet you, too, Ranger Becket. I would love to talk to you longer but, alas, I have an important talk with Miss Mori, so if you would be so kind to excuse me” she said with the inkling of a smile and got up, taking her tray with her.

Raleigh looked amused at Chuck who seemed utterly flabbergasted.

Mako, who had been keenly watching the conversation, had trouble holding back her laughter when Annabelle approached her. She sat down opposite her friend.

“Has Ranger Hansen just hit on me? I thought he is in a relationship with Ranger Becket.”

“He is but it’s an open one. I am, er, sometimes involved with Raleigh myself.” Mako explained.

“I see. Not that I’m against it, if you are worried about that. Everyone should do as they please.” She smiled, then asked after a little pause “Do you think I was a little too harsh?”

Mako shrugged. “Maybe. Chuck’s actually nice and kind when you really get to know him but he has a reputation to lose.”

“And that would be ‘biggest jock of the Shatterdome’?” Annabelle frowned.

“Basically yes. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try getting to know him.”

Now it was Annabelle who shrugged. “If that is what you think. I will see you later then at the discussion with the Marshal. Bye Mako!” She got up and walked back to the Rangers.

Raleigh nudged Chuck and nodded in the direction Annabelle was coming from. Chuck turned just when she had reached the table.

“Miss Willems. Have you – Ouch? Was that necessary?” He glared at Raleigh who had kicked him under the table.

“Miss Willems was about to tell us something. Don’t ruin it again.”

Annabelle gave him an indecipherable look. “Ranger Becket is right. I wanted to invite you two for tea at five in the afternoon if that suits you.”

“So you’re an original English lady, mmh?” The look Chuck was eyeing her with was more interested than anything else.

“No, I’m from Belgium, but I have worked with enough English people to adopt some habits. Now does that suit you or not?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Willems, but I’m going to have a talk with Tendo at four about Gipsy and it’s probably going to take longer than an hour.” Raleigh said apologetically.

“But I’m free! So if you want to put up with me alone…?” Chuck said, his voice trailing out in a question.

“Why should I not? Dogs that bark usually don’t bite. You find my office beside the lab of the K-Science team. Until five then. And people who come late to appointments have a particularly hard time.” She waved, smiling syrupy at Chuck, and disappeared among the crowds that were leaving the mess all at once.

Chuck looked incredulously at Raleigh. “Do I really have a date with the Belgian radiologist for English Tea?”

Raleigh laughed. “Yes, you have. Should I lend you my watch so don’t come too late?”

“Oh screw you” Chuck mumbled and punched his boyfriend on the shoulder, then gave him a quick peck on the forehead before leaving.

***

He wished he had accepted Raleigh’s offer. It was five minutes to five and he still had to get to the lab area on the upper deck of the Shatterdome. In his hurry, he ran into the Wei Tang brothers, knocking Hu to the ground.

“Hey, watch where you’re going, Hansen!” Jin scolded him when Chuck helped Hu to his feet, then sprinted onwards.

He heard a grandfather’s clock chime five when he knocked on the lab’s door breathlessly.

“Come on in, please.”

He opened the door and found himself in rather small room divided by a white curtain that was currently drawn back. On both sides were two small slits in the walls, allowing the rare sunlight to stream in. That immediately made him realize how important the radiologist must be for the Shatterdome as only privileged people like the Marshal had rooms with windows. Even the Rangers had to live without sunlight most of the time.  
Under the window on the left side stood a swivel chair and a metal desk loaded with neat stacks of papers. The right side of the room was occupied by the examination equipment.

Annabelle was currently busy with making some space on her crammed desk. A tray with a teapot in a cosy, two sets of cups and saucers, and a small array of biscuits sat waiting on a cupboard beside it.

“Ranger Hansen! Welcome to my office” she said with a warm smile and arranged the last stack of paper before coming over to greet him.

“And I made it on time!” He couldn’t help feeling proud to have conformed to her demand.

“You certainly did. Though I wouldn’t have minded too much if you were slightly late. But it is always better to be on time.”

He scrunched his face a little when he realized that the earlier fuss hadn’t been exactly necessary. But by now she had indicated a seat for him and, actually, he wasn’t mad at all. He accepted the delicate china cup filled with steaming black tea.

“Add milk and honey as you please. I also have lemon if that is more to your taste. Do you want a biscuit?”

He nodded and took one when he had finished preparing his tea. He liked it pure with just a dash of lemon. While still chewing on the first bite of his biscuit, he emitted appraising noises. He swallowed. “Mmh, they’re the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. Did you make them yourself?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately not. I am a disaster in the kitchen. This is actually a secret but if you are willing to keep it I will tell you.”

“Cross my heart and hope to die” Chuck replied, his mouth half-full with crumbles.

“This is such a drastic thing to say. Anyway, the biscuits were made by Sasha Kaidonovsky.”

Chuck spluttered and coughed, and it needed several gulps of tea for him to regain his breath. He swiped some tears from the corners of his eyes. “Sasha Kaidonovsky? You’re kidding me, right?”

“Certainly not. I never joke about biscuits; they are serious business.”

“I’ve always assumed she’s hard as steel and not able to perform anything feminine.”

She shot him a reprimanding look. “What is feminine and what is not is certainly not your job to judge. If there is anything feminine at all.”

He held up his hands. “Oh, okay. Yeah, sorry. It’s not that I wouldn’t admire Sasha for those biscuits. Tell her they were incredible. And I promise I won’t tell anybody.”

She eyed him one last time, then relaxed in her chair. “I’m sorry, too. Discussions about feminism are maybe not the best starter for first dates. We can still talk about this sometime later.”

He chuckled and nodded affirmitely. “Yeah, serious topics aside. You said you’re Belgian but as far as I know there’s no Belgian Shatterdome.”

“Correct. I got trained at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk. Even though I’m not trained as an astronaut per se, I dreamt of meeting alien life forms. And since it will take at least another decade – but probably more – for us to meet them in space I decided to go where they are now and join a Shatterdome.”

Chuck leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his thighs, and looked at her as if she was mad. “You’ve sought out the Shatterdome to meet Kaijus?

“That’s simplifies it a little but it’s the gist. I realized while working here that Kaijus only play a smaller role in my fascination with the PPDC. The scientific research is excellent and the Jaegers address a long-time attraction to robots.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, okay. You know, most people join the PPDC because they want to take revenge on the Kaijus because they’ve taken their family. Me and my dad, Mako, and later on also Raleigh. His brother had been killed in combat five years ago.”

She sighed and nodded. “I know. I do not ask you to understand my positive motives when all you have seen is death and destruction. I only ask you to not argue with me about them.”

He made moves to get up. “I’m not sure I can do this. We don’t need another Kaiju groupie like Dr Geiszler, though he’s a respected scientist.”

Her face reddened. “I am _not_ a Kaiju groupie. I indeed think that the breach is supposed to be sealed to preserve mankind. But I also think that Kaijus should not be made the scapegoats for us treating the earth so poorly. This is not a fight good against bad; it’s a fight bad against bad.”  
She breathed heavily.

“Well, whatever, Miss Willems. I’m a Jaeger pilot and I have clear orders. That’s all I should be concerned about.” He was already at the door.

“For heaven’s sake! You’re just as stupid as everybody in the whole military! It’s really better you go now.”

“There’s nothing I’d like to do more.” Without a word of goodbye he slammed the door hard behind him.

She stared at the door furiously until her anger subsided and she sat down in her chair, sighing. Taking a sip from her now cold tea, she said to herself. “Oh well, so much for righting the first impression.”

***

Later that evening, Chuck lay in sweet post-coital bliss in Raleigh’s strong arms. He stroked his head and hummed to himself.

After a while he asked “You haven’t talked about your date with Miss Willems yet but Mako said she saw you coming down from the science department agitated. What happened?”

Chuck sighed, partly because he didn’t want to be reminded of that disastrous date and partly because Raleigh had single-handedly ruined his good mood.  
“This woman came here to meet Kaijus! What did she say? Yeah, something along the lines ‘it will still take ages until ‘we’ meet aliens in space so I went to where they are now’.”

“She said that?” Raleigh sounded doubtful. He shifted a little in the pillows.

“You don’t believe me?” Chuck sat upright and frowned at Raleigh.

He hastened to pacify his boyfriend. “I do but I didn’t expect her to be like this.”

“But she is.” Chuck scowled. “A mad woman, that’s what she is. Jeez, and I thought...”

“Yeah, maybe it’s better when you two don’t meet too often. But I will visit her tomorrow.”

Chuck narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Because I want to have a look myself. Also, I have an appointment for some medical exams” Raleigh explained.

Immediately, Chuck’s glare softened. “Why? Is something wrong with you?” He touched his bare chest and pretended to listen for his heartbeat.

Raleigh laughed and softly pulled his hand away, resting it between his hands. “No, I’m alright. That’s just my long-term surveillance after the Knifehead fight. But so far they haven’t found anything alarming so I’m positive that she won’t this time.”

Chuck muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like “You never know. I don’t trust this woman.”

Suddenly, the Kaiju alarm rang and the red drill lamp in the corner of the dorm started spinning.

“Ah, fuck off” Chuck cursed and got up from the bed, Raleigh following suit but without a swearword on his lips.

Minutes later they reported to the Drivesuit room. Tendo gave them information on the Kaiju, a Category 3 named Rougester. Pentecost issued Striker Eureka and Lady Danger to stay put while he sent out Cherno Alpha and, as back-up, Crimson Typhoon to take down the intruder.

The two remaining Jaeger teams stood up in LOCCENT and watched the fight on the holographic screen. A panting Newton Geiszler ran up to the panel.

“Have you, heh, seen Anna? I mean, Miss Willems? She’s not in her office and anyone I asked couldn’t help me.”

“Dr Geiszler, can’t you see that there is a Kaiju at the gates of Hong Kong?” Stacker Pentecost didn’t even turn around to him.

Newton shrank a little but didn’t back away. “I know, sir, but this is urgent. I really need to find her.”

Pentecost sighed and waved two J-Techs in his direction, motioning them to help him in his search. Newton had just turned when Tendo gasped.

“Sir, there is someone near the Kaiju. A person.”

“What?” Pentecost’s voice was raised, then he gained his composure back. He spoke through the intercom. “Crimson, I need you to check something. The radar says that there’s a person at nine o’clock. Please confirm.”

There was a moment of silence when the triplets observed the given position. Then “Yes, sir, there is someone. It seems to be a woman, standing at the edge of the pier. She’s staring straight at the Kaiju that, damnit, slipped through Cherno’s grip. We’re after it.”

Pentecost swore under his breath.

Beside him Raleigh went pale and also Chuck seemed to look uneasy.

“Sir, I think I know where Miss Willems is.” Raleigh said, looking first at the Marshal and then at Newton.

He ran up to him. “Yes? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“What Raleigh’s trying to say is that the woman at the pier is Miss Willems. She seems to have a, uh, special interest in Kaijus.”

Newton’s eyes went wide and Pentecost stiffened. Then he leaned to the intercom again. “Cherno, Crimson, can you confirm that the person at the pier is the radiologist Willems?”

He waited but there was no response, only ghostly silence.

“Cherno? Crimson? Do you hear me?”

“Ah, er, yes sir” Sasha Kaidanovsky finally reported. “It is the radiologist. And she’s, she’s speaking to the Kaiju. That seems to listen carefully. Now it, it straightens and comes towards us, and, and, closes his eyes and opens his arms.” There was a pause where everyone held their breath. What was this supposed to mean? The intercom crackled and Kaidanovsky continued “The radiologist has motioned us to kill the Kaiju. Copy, sir?”

Pentecost processed what he had just heard and then confirmed the order.

The red point on the screen that had been the Kaiju went black, indicating the death of the beast.

Pentecost pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he turned to one of the helicopter teams. “Collect Miss Willems from the pier and bring Cherno and Crimson back to the dome.” The pilot saluted and ran with his comrades to the exit. Pentecost turned to Chuck and Raleigh. “Tell me” he simply said.

They looked at each other, then Chuck began “She had invited me to her for a cup of tea and when I asked her why she’d come to the Shatterdome she answered that she wanted to see aliens immediately. Not wait for decades until ‘we’ would meet them in space.”

“That’s what she said?” Pentecost frowned.

Chuck nodded. The Marshal ran a hand over his face.

“Did you know this, sir?” Raleigh dared to ask.

Pentecost shot him a not so subtle look. “We needed a new radiologist and her references where the best. She never gave the impression to be a, er -“

“- a Kaiju groupie, just like Dr Geiszler” Chuck supplied.

Pentecost only made a move with his hand.

“Either way, I will interrogate her when she proves to be stable after the examination.”

***

Marshal Stacker Pentecost and Ranger Hercules Hansen both stared at their delinquent who looked back at them unimpressed.

“You swear you do not remember anything from down at the pier?” Herc asked again.

She didn’t flinch. “Yes, Ranger Hansen, I swear. I do not even remember how I got there. I know that I was in my office and then wanted to go down to LOCCENT to see the Jaeger deployment. Somewhere in-between me leaving the office and waking up here in the medical wing I must have taken the turn to the pier. What did I do there, you said?”

Pentecost and Herc exchanged a look. “You talked to the Kaiju and apparently persuaded it to let itself get killed by the Jaegers. Which it did. It seems to us that you have somehow hypnotised the Kaiju. Is there anything you want to tell us?” Herc eyed her suspiciously.

“You mean supernatural abilities? No, sir. Nothing like this has ever happened before and therefore has not come to my attention. I believe the Jaeger teams, sir. But I cannot remember what happened on the pier. I promise I will report to you whenever anything like this will occur in the future, sir.” She looked at them in honesty.

They exchanged another glance, then finally nodded. “All right. You are dismissed.” Pentecost said and indicated the door.

She bowed and left the infirmary. In her office, Mako, Raleigh and Chuck were already waiting for her.

Mako hugged her tightly. She carefully stroked the shorter woman’s back. “You alright?” Mako asked. She nodded.

“But we are not. What did you just think? Oh, right, you didn’t think at all!” Chuck spat on the office floor. That earned him a punch from Raleigh.

“Could you clean that up? Jeez.”

Annabelle went over to the kettle without looking at the two.

“I cannot prove to you that I thought because I cannot remember. So you might be right. Or you might be wrong. Whatever is true, I can only say I’m glad that I don’t remember. Otherwise I would have probably died of fear.” Her voice was calm and controlled. She handed out cups of tea to everyone. Chuck didn’t accept his, so she placed it beside him on the desk.

A long silence stretched between them before Mako spoke up. “Well, I’m happy that you’re still alive and thanks to you the Kaiju could be killed without a big fuss. The danger to Hong Kong was minimal and the damage to the Jaegers was smaller than usual.”

Chuck snorted.

Annabelle took a deep breath and turned towards him. She just stared at him.

“What?”

She shook her head but before she could say anything it knocked at her door. Something clicked in her face. “That’s my six o’clock appointment with the Cherno Alpha J-Tech crew. Would you mind leaving?”

They got up. Mako patted her back, Raleigh wanted to do it, too, but then hesitated, and Chuck marched past her without looking.

***

Annabelle brooded in her office over her doctoral thesis when her phone rang. “Willems?”

“This is Stacker Pentecost. Willems, I need to see you in the Driftsuit room. Immediately.”

“I’m on my way, sir.” She hung up and hurried out of the office.

Only minutes later she arrived there to discover that Stacker Pentecost was about to be suited up. She didn’t say anything but he caught her eye anyway.

“Miss Willems, it’s good to see you. You probably already know why I called you.”

“Yes, sir. Though I do not see the necessity for me to be here. You have certainly made your decision already.”

He nodded. “I have and you don’t need to tell me the risks. You have done that several times before.”

She nodded. “But you decided to venture into the Jaeger anyway because of the greater good. I appreciate your heroism but as a doctor I unquestionably disapprove of your suicide commando.”

He only nodded. “Will you accompany me down? Hercules Hansen knows about it already.”

“I will. But does Chuck know?”

“Not yet. I heard you and he are not the best friends.”

“That is a mild way to put it. We both tried but he has not taken my remark on Kaijus very well and I do not agree with his disrespectful behaviour.”

“And it’s not going to change.”

She gave him a long look. “I will try to make it up to him when we go down. It is never good to part in agony.”

In the face of the oncoming events, the Marshal emitted something that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

***

Chuck hadn’t taken the news well that the Marshal was going to go into Striker with him. Annabelle stood a little to the side and waited until the argument with his father was over. Then she approached him.

“Ranger Hansen?”

“What?” He sounded impatient.

“The Marshal will die, one way or the other. But you don’t need to.”

Chuck coughed. “Nonsense. Everyone has the chance to die down there.”

She didn’t look at him when she answered him. “Raleigh and Mako will definitely not die. The probability for your death is higher. But nothing is set yet.” She fiddled with the clasp of her necklace. On a long black leather cord dangled a forest green gemstone ring that emanated a low silvery glow. Then she turned to him.

“What?” Having trouble keeping his self-control made it hard for him to give anything but monosyllabic answers.

She reached up to him and put the necklace around his neck.

“What’s that for?”

“A good-luck charm? It will keep you safe.”

“How? And why do you even care?”

“We may not be best friends but I am a doctor and I try to safe as many lives as possible. Now go, Pentecost is waiting for you.” She patted his shoulder and nodded towards the Marshal.

When the two marched off to Striker Eureka she approached Herc. “Ranger Hansen?”

“Miss Willems?” He seemed surprised. “You may call me Herc, if you want to.”

“If you insist. Then I’m Annabelle for you. So, er, Herc. Do you give me permission to go into Chuck’s dorm? I need to fetch something.”

“Uh, yes, you may go. But why do you need something?”

“I only have to make sure that everything goes according to plan. Thank you.” She scurried away before Herc could say anything else.

She hesitated before she entered Chuck’s room and stood glued to the spot when she had. Then she jolted and walked into the room. Scanning it thoroughly, she finally found what she was looking for: his dog tags. After a deep breath, she took them from his bedpost. First, she wondered why he didn’t have them with him. But he probably suspected that when he was blown to pieces those would suffer the same fate. She put them on and hurried back to LOCCENT, just in time to see that a third Kaiju emerged from the breach. A collective sigh resounded in the dome as everyone watched the screen anxiously, even if they couldn’t see anything.

A fight ensued but it was clear that they wouldn’t go anywhere with that. Soon, Pentecost announced to “path a pave for the Lady”. Herc beside her took a deep breath and closed his eyes. She felt for the dog tags under her lab coat and held them tightly in her fist. Nobody was looking at her so she managed to sneak away from the scene into a dark corner. Then she muttered something under her breath.

***

Down in the Pacific Ocean, Chuck Hansen pressed the last button along with Marshal Pentecost to fully activate the nuclear bomb mounted on Striker’s back. Suddenly, a blue bubble appeared around Chuck. The last thing he saw from Pentecost was the gobsmacked expression he had never seen before on his face. Then the Jaeger blew up and Chuck was catapulted in his bubble through the air that had replaced the seawater due to the shockwave. He looked down and saw Lady G with her sword plunged deep into the seabed, saw how the water rushed back over her. He was torn into a violent current, but stayed completely unscathed, holding his breath even wasn’t necessary. After a wild ride on the waves, the sea calmed down and he only bobbed a little on its surface like a cork.

***

Tendo nearly spilled his coffee when he discovered a point at his screen indicating the Ranger Hansen’s vital signs. Herc was immediately at his side.

“Is this real?”

“Seems this way. Chuck? Can you hear me?”

First it only crackled in the loudspeakers but then he answered “Ah, er, yeah. I’m on the ocean’s surface. Can you pick me up?”

Tears prickled in the corners of Herc’s eyes but he needed to stay calm, now that he was the Marshal in charge. He turned to a helicopter crew and they saluted him before he had issued his orders.

“Hold on there, Chuck. Rescue is on its way.”

After the first shock about this unexpected turn of events was digested, they concentrated again on the actions that were occurring deep in the breach. Nobody noticed the slight grin on Annabelle’s face. First, Mako’s life pod was detached and everyone cheered but then Raleigh notified them that he had to activate the core meltdown manually. A collective grunt rippled through the dome and the tension was nearly palpable. It dispersed a little when the breach collapsed. Still, people held their breath when there were no vital signs coming from Raleigh’s life pod. Mako desperately tried to find some. Annabelle kneaded her hands, for a moment she had forgotten the triumph of Chuck’s survival. Then they heard a groan that sounded like “You’re holding me too tight” and when they realized it was Raleigh who had spoken the cheer in the dome was deafening. Herc announced that they could, finally, stop the clock, and they fell into each other’s arms.

***

They rushed onto the helicopter field to await the survivors. The first helicopter to set down carried Chuck. Still in his Drivesuit, he stood at the top of the stairs and looked around, shocked. He still couldn’t believe he had survived. Then he saw his father and tears sprang to his eyes, tears of relieve, tears of shame, tears of joy. Herc dashed up to him and embraced him, even though Chuck was dripping wet.

“We have to get you out of that suit. Think of the irony if you have survived a nuclear blow-up but then died of pneumonia.” Herc remarked with a lopsided smile, then he shouted for the paramedics to bring his son to the infirmary.

Then they anxiously waited for the remaining Jaeger pilots to trickle in. By now Newton, Dr Gottlieb and Tendo had caught up with him. They were too stunned to speak and started fidgeting nervously.

“What does that take them so long?” Tendo asked in a high-pitched voice, an uncommon feature of his.

“There! I see them!” Newton shouted and pointed at a couple of blurry dots that became steadily larger until they turned out to be the sent-out helicopters. The spectators quickly made room for them to land. The door of one of them opened – in Herc’s opinion impossibly slowly – and Raleigh and Mako emerged. Raleigh looked pretty satisfied with himself, and Mako smiled, too, but was also shivering.

Herc shouted again after the paramedics and then made a note on his mental list to include an enclosed space in the helicopters to allow staff that had fallen into the water to change into new clothes.

While Mako was brought to the infirmary as well, he embraced Raleigh and congratulated him on the victory. But mostly, he was just glad that three out of four pilots had survived. He followed his staff inside but stopped to look around. Where was Miss Willems, no, Annabelle? He had thought her to be best friends with Mako and also closer to Raleigh so why wasn’t she outside? He decided to first check in the medical wing and then pay her lab a visit.

When he arrived at the medical wing he discovered Chuck and Mako quietly chatting while the doctors bustled around them.

“Dad!” Chuck was the first to notice him.

Herc turned to one of the doctors. “Is everything alright with the two of them?”

“So far we haven’t found anything beside a few scraps. Your son has a mild concussion and we assume that Ranger Mori is under shock but nothing is life-threatening. We will shortly carry them off to Miss Willems’ lab so she can undertake the necessary radiologic examanations.”

Herc let out a relieved breath and sat down in a chair between the two beds. “I’m so glad you two made it.” He first took Chuck’s hand, and then Mako’s.

“Me too, you cannot imagine. You know, I think that Miss Willems is-“

He was interrupted by Mako’s cough. “I also think that Annabelle will be glad” she said with an intelligible look. Chuck shot her an angry look back that meant “That’s not what I was about to say.” Before he could retort something impolite, however, there was a knock on the door. Herc called them in. Two nurses came in and one of them announced that they would now take the Ranger Hansen off to the radiology lab. Because of his concussion he was required to take a seat in a wheelchair. Chuck didn’t look too happy about this piece of assistance but his dad ushered him in and he accepted that he had no choice. Just when he had left the room, another nurse came in, a now suited-down Raleigh in tow.

“Ranger Becket insisted that he was fine but I wanted to hear none of it. In the bed now with you!” She steered him to the bed beside Mako. Raleigh made a face but deferred to his fate and made himself comfortable under the blankets. When Herc had convinced himself that everyone was taken care of, he bade farewell to tend to the duties a Marshal had after such impacting events.

***

Before the nurse could knock on the door to the radiology lab it was opened. “I’ll take him from here, thank you” Annabelle said and stepped behind Chuck to steer him into the surgery area. She placed him in front of a waist-high device that was equipped with a foot-piece looking like a scale and a shaft on which a monitor as well as two detectors for the hands were mounted.

“Ranger Hansen, if you would be so kind to step onto the plates. I will help you stand and then please place your hands in the two detectors.”

Chuck silently did as he was told; he thought it best to not ask her about her mysterious necklace he was still wearing. When had steadied himself on the device she pressed a button on the monitor and then took something that looked a little like a satellite dish and hovered with it over his entire body. While waiting for the procedure to be over he let his eyes roam over the office and spotted his battered Drivesuit inside a glass cabinet.

“I have already inspected your suit for contamination and discovered nothing upsetting so the chances that you are contaminated are low. But it is always better to check anyways” she explained after she had followed his gaze. A high beep indicated that the results were there.  
“Ah, as predicted there is nothing to worry about. The radiation shielding in the Mark V’s are the best so far.” She helped him back in his wheelchair and ignored the puzzled look on his face.

“But I was right at the source of a nuclear explosion! I must be brimming with radiation!”

“If you truly were at the source you would be fused with the molecules of the seawater by now.”

“Exactly! But I’m not and I think it’s because of the necklace you gave me!”

“How is this is supposed to be? As I said, it is merely a good luck charm.”

“Don’t try to fool me! When the bomb was about to explode a bubble formed around me and kept me safe. I doubt this would have happened if I hadn’t worn your stupid necklace.”

“Oh, so the necklace is stupid because it saved your life? I apologize then, for putting you in the inconvenience of continuing on with your life. If I had known that you are so keen on dying I would have, of course, not interfered.” Without a second look she went over to her desk and called the infirmary. Then she set to work on the monitoring device to prepare it for the next pilot. She worked with the back on him so he couldn’t see how red her face was and how tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. But before they could fall down, there was a knock on the door. She hurried to open it, then turned again to her work at the device, leaving the nurse to take Chuck with him.

***

Mako was surprised to find her friend crying. “What happened, Anna? Is it because Chuck was here?”

Annabelle took a deep breath and furiously pawed at her eyes, leaving the black eyeliner and mascara in smudges on her cheeks. Mako wanted to embrace her but she pinned her down in the wheelchair with ease. “Don’t Mako. I’m the one who is supposed to make sure you are in good condition, not the other way round. Let us finish the exams and I will talk to you later when the doctors are confident that you are alright.” She wheeled her over to the monitoring device and repeated the procedure she had applied on Chuck.

When they were done, she didn’t call for a nurse to pick Mako up but brought her to the infirmary herself. She wasn’t sure why she did this because she would positively run into Chuck again. Somehow she felt like this kind of self-flagellation was necessary. She really had wanted to make things right between them, to offer some kind of calumet but it hadn’t worked. Chuck had managed again to break her composed outer shell and bring out a certain kind of rage she hadn’t known she possessed. It was nearly unbearable but she was a strong woman and an overly self-satisfied Jaeger pilot was the last person she would admit defeat to.

The way to the medical wing had been one in uncomfortable silence. Usually Mako and she always found something to chat about. But she knew that Mako wanted to comfort her and she was not in the position to accept this offer. Not after Mako had sacrificed her life to save the planet and was in a – though only mildly – unstable form. That’s why she was glad to reach the patient’s room where she could take Raleigh with her. She ignored Chuck, and he probably did the same, so it was more or less okay. Still, everyone could feel the tension as they entered. She quickly reported to the doctor’s that so far no concerning results had shown up. Nonetheless, she needed to test Raleigh, too.

Back in her room, he was his usual cheery and humble self. He didn’t say a word about the tautness only minutes ago. Instead he talked about how proud he was of everyone but himself, including her, for preparing and carrying out Operation Pitfall so successfully. Just when he had reached the point of rambling about the numerous J-Techs who never got the credit they actually deserved he suddenly clutched his chest and started wheezing.

“Raleigh? What is it? Talk to me!” She quickly pulled him down from the device, which was luckily already done with the examination, and into the wheelchair in which she had brought him here. Raleigh couldn’t answer her question, only panted and gasped for air. She decided against calling the doctors up here. Instead she took him there herself, racing as fast as the wheelchair would allow. Startled J-Techs and nurses sprang out of the way. She didn’t bother to go into the patients’ room. His friends would soon enough hear what had happened. Instead she deposited him straight in the surgery, told the cardiologist what happened and shared her mind with him on the matter. Even though she was specialised on radiology, she first had had to learn the general practice as well.  
The cardiologist took over and placed Raleigh, who wasn’t panting too heavily anymore, on a couch.

***

Herc had been the first to be told, and he then passed the news over to Raleigh’s loved ones with a heavy heart. The neural load had proved to be too much while he had been alone in the Jaeger even though he hadn’t operated Lady G like he had when he had fought against Knifehead. Now he lay in a coma. Mako felt guilty and blamed herself that she had let him finish the mission alone. Chuck, for some reason, blamed the radiologist instead. He reproached her that she hadn’t warned Raleigh about the risks. This, however, was rather far-fetched because, firstly, did she have indeed enlightened him about the hazards that would occur if he ever piloted a Jaeger alone again. And secondly, nobody had anticipated that he would do so voluntarily, and even when they had learned about it, did nobody anticipate his actions as dangerous as he hadn’t actually piloted. Chuck knew this as much as Annabelle, still he voiced his accusations whenever they met and she accepted her role as a scapegoat in this matter.

***

Two nights after the doctors had put him into the artificial coma, Chuck found Annabelle beside Raleigh’s bed. He was furious.

“What do you do here? Fuck off, will ya?” he ordered her muffled.

“I will not” she said in an equally quiet voice. “I am here to help him.”

“And how do you want to do that, eh? You weren’t even able to prevent this from happening.”

 She only closed her eyes in response and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then she looked at him. “You still have my necklace, do you not?”

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Then his cockiness came back. “What makes you think this? I might as well have flung it into the sea.”

She shook her head. “I would have known about it. Can you please give it to me?”

He eyed her distrustfully and took his time removing the chain from his neck. He held it out to her.

“Can you put it around Raleigh’s neck? And give me his dog-tags in return?”

He hesitated a long time. She didn’t plead nor did she became impatient. She just sat there waiting for his turn. In the end, he grew tired of this game and did as he was told. Gently, he placed the necklace on Raleigh’s chest and then pulled the chain with the tags over his head. Taking great care of not touching her, he placed the tags in her open palm. She slid them over her head and then held them tightly in her fist. She closed her eyes. Chuck didn’t hear anything but he saw her mouth move in an unfamiliar fashion. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t make out the words that were falling from her lips. Then another occurrence caught his attention. The gemstone ring on Raleigh’s chest started glowing more intensely. It lifted itself off and suddenly green snakes of light flowed from it, wrapping themselves around Raleigh’s still body. Forgotten were the allegations he held against Annabelle; he was too enraptured by the spectacle in front of his eyes.

Not long after, the light retreated back into the crystal and it sank down. Raleigh was still motionless. Immediately Chuck’s lightened mood darkened.

“Whatever hocus-pocus you performed here, it didn’t work” he growled.

She didn’t answer him, instead got up from her chair and removed the tube that was supplying oxygen to Raleigh. Before Chuck could knock her out as he wished to because he thought now she was going to kill him he noticed something odd: Raleigh was breathing on his own. Chuck bent forward until his face was level with Raleigh’s. He stroked his hair.

“Raleigh, can you hear me sweetie?” Chuck held his breath when Raleigh started to stir. Then his eyes fluttered open.

“Hey Chuck” he said drowsily. He wanted to add something but couldn’t when Chuck crashed his lips on his mouth.

“You’re alive!” he said breathlessly after a long, longing kiss.

Raleigh grinned self-consciously. “Seems like it. Where have I been, anyway?”

“In a coma! The neural load of finishing the mission alone was too much so the doctors had to take drastic actions.”

“But I woke up.”

“You did. Because of – “ Chuck looked to where Annabelle had been sitting, only to discover that she had left the room.

“Because of what?”

“Because of a fucking miracle” Chuck said in awe and held tightly to his partner’s hand.

***

The next morning he found a letter at the foot of Raleigh’s bed. He didn’t recall falling asleep in the sickroom but apparently he had. Raleigh wasn’t awake yet.  He reached for the letter and discovered that it was addressed to him.

_Ranger Hansen,_

_Last night you witnessed me performing magic. I ask you to keep this a secret and to not tell anybody, not even Raleigh or Mako, and especially not your father. I also beg you to not talk to me about this. Let us carry on in our lives as they are. Maybe you see me different than before. If you do not, this is fine with me as well. This is, of course, not a farewell letter. I will continue to work at the Shatterdome as long as they are deemed necessary._

_Kind Regards_

He looked at it puzzled, then quickly stuffed it into the pocket of his pants when he saw Raleigh moving in the corner of his eye.

“Morning, love” he muttered, still sleepy.

“Morning! How do you feel?” Chuck asked softly.

“Kinda nice. Like I just had made love to you.” Raleigh give him one of his beloved sheepish grins. Chuck smiled in return and kissed him on the forehead.

***

After lunch today Chuck walked up to the radiology lab. He had always done contradictory things to what she did. So, of course, he would confront her with the letter. At least, he had the decency to knock.

Annabelle called him in and immediately narrowed her eyes when she saw who entered. Then she spotted the letter in his hand and her eyes narrowed even more. “So you even prove incapable of reading as well?” she asked as a greeting.

“Yes, I have read this but you cannot expect me to not be curious about it.”

She sighed. “I have anticipated that, to be frankly honest. But as you are already here, please sit down.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

“Ranger Hansen, I acknowledge that you have a reputation to lose and that you are too stubborn to change anything about our current situation. However, you came here disrespecting my request and in the face of this I can expect you to comply to my offer.”  She glared at him and pointed firmly at the chair.

“Alrigh, alright. So, Miss Willems, what are you, exactly?”

“There is no precise term for a specimen like me. I am not a witch because I have to rely on the crystal. I can, well, operate it but I do not possess its power. Neither am I a magician or sorcerer, or whatever magical label springs to your mind.” She looks at him expectantly.

“Er, okay.” He kneaded his brow. Then he looked up grinning. “Can I, can I call you ‘the Necromancer’?”

She rolled her eyes. “If that makes it easier for you to deal with me? Why not.”

A long pause between them followed. She turned to the stacks of papers on her desk while he frantically tried to think of what do say next. He sensed that his next statement would be crucial in their relationship. Either it only would get frostier or they might actually make a step towards an easing of the tension.

He decided on the latter and coughed to get her attention. “Miss Willems, I want to apologize. I have been a dick since the first moment we talked. My advance on you at the mess table was probably a little tacky.”

Annabelle smiled and reached out her open palm. “I truly appreciate your complaisance, I really do. Thank you, Ranger Hansen. I have to apologize, too. I actually knew perfectly well how you would react to my revelation about the Kaijus and then I have taken some satisfaction from your agitated demeanour.” She made a fake-pout. That earned herself a grin from Chuck.

“I honestly start liking you, but just a little.”

“That works for me.”  

**Author's Note:**

> I had actually planned, no, cross that out, I had wished for Annabelle and Chuck to kiss but in the course of the story there never was a suitable situation. I assume that there will probably follow a third part. 
> 
> This is not a sequel to part 1 even though it might look this way. More so, it's a different take on the situation "Chuck Hansen+OC radiologist".
> 
> And I have no idea where those 19 pages came from... ;)


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